Sunday, December 29, 2013

Looking forward. Is 2014 the year the GOP goes off the rails?

Since the election of President Obama in 2008 the right wing blogisphere and the oppose at any cost caucus in the US House have screamed about the sky is falling.

They have voted to repeal the ACA forty or so times. They did this knowing there was no chance it would pass the Senate or be signed into law by the President. They have whined that there the ACA was passed with no Republican votes, a sign of tyranny by the majority. Excuse me there is no Constitutional requirement for bipartisanship. Guys, sometimes the minority loses. Why? Because they're a minority.

In October the Tea Party aligned members of the House took us to the brink of default over defunding the ACA. They once again did this knowing full well it had no prayer of passing the Senate or being signed into law. Pure political theater for the "freedom" base. Those who view any compromise as a betrayal and surrender. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) called those opposed to hostage taking as "The Surrender Caucus" of the Republican Party.

Rep.Darryl Issa (R-CA) has used his position as Chairman of the House Oversight Committee to wage assorted witch hunts in an attempt to cripple the President and justify any and all overreaches by the House.

Issa and others tried to use Benghazi, the new GOP Bettlejuice, as an issue to demonize the President in the run up to the 2012 reelection and damage potential 2016 candidate Hillary Clinton. Issa, McCain and others claimed a vast conspiracy to cover up what "really" happened. It was said to be worse that Watergate. Well, as someone who remembers Watergate I can only say, what? Are you crazy? The sane Americans rejected that argument reelecting President Obama.

We have seen the rise of a right wing in this nation who decries any sort of help, as in the social safety net, as socialism and tyranny Someone should remind them that if President Obama.was the tyrant they say he is they would be dead or in jail.

There has been a spike in gun ownership dating back to 2008 as people buy weapons to stockpile because the black guy is coming for their guns. These people see any restriction on ownership of firearms as unconstitutional. They view the Second Amendment as absolute. The others are either suggestions or evil and need to be repealed.

During the 2012 election cycle we saw the Republican hopefuls try to out Jesus each other as to who is the most Christian as they condemned the very existence of the social net as horrendous. Like many evangelicals they concentrate on the Old Testament rather than the book that actually has Jesus in it.

So, since the election of president Obama we have seen a perfect storm of a growth industry committed to any and all absurdest conspiracy theories, pushing them mainstream.

Recent history shows the Republican Party refuses to accept any Democratic President as legitimate. They can't believe a Democrat can win the White House without stealing the election and rejecting the GOP vision of America. The Republican Party spent the entire Clinton Presidency trying to bring him down. After spending millions of dollars on investigations they finally Impeached him. The Senate declined to convict. President Clinton, on the day he was Impeached, had a 60% approval rating.

Since the day Barack Obama took office there has been a constant drumbeat to impeach. It began in the way out there crazy ass nut jobs wing of the Republican party. As time went by we saw actual office holders say this tyrant has committed impeachable offenses. It has become kind of acceptable to mention impeachment as a viable option.

Since the August recess we have seen Republican office holders mention the I word.

Michelle Bachman (R-Klingon Empire) has said in her mind the President has committed impeachable offenses. I am afraid of what may actually be in her mind. Rep Louis Gohmert (R-Romulus) Thinks the President should be impeached. Senator Tom Coburn (R-18th Century) has said POTUS is dangerously close to impeachment. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Mordor) has said president Obama could be impeached but the Senate wouldn't vote for conviction. Rep ken Bentivolio (R-Wraith) has said impeachment would be a dream come true. This political theater is now mainstream.

The question is do these people have the clout in the House to force a committee to bring a bill of impeachment to the floor? They believe if that happens the House will vote to impeach.

The reasons for a true bill is as varied as the clowns calling for it. Benghazi. The ACA. The Birth Certificate. The list is long and nu.ts. Any actual scholar knows no impeachable acts have occurred. They know that an impeachment is simply a play to the rabid base with absolutely no prospect of the Senate concurring..

Will we see the House pushed by the far right into an impeachment action in 2014 the backlash would be amazing to watch. The American public seems to be tired of the House going off on it's Quixotic quests to undo the election of the President. I am hoping the sane Members would quash any Bill of Impeachment. If not? Well, the 2014 election cycle would be interesting.